TÜRK-İŞ: Hunger threshold exceeds 32 thousand TL, poverty threshold surpasses 105 thousand TL

TÜRK-İŞ has announced the results of its hunger and poverty threshold research for February 2026. According to the research, the monthly food expenditure required for a family of four living in Ankara to have a healthy and balanced diet has exceeded 32 thousand 365 TL. Thus, the hunger threshold has risen significantly compared to the previous month.

When essential expenses such as clothing, housing, transportation, education, and health are taken into account alongside food expenditure, the total income a household must earn to live above the poverty threshold was calculated at 105 thousand 424 TL.

The research also pointed out that the monthly cost of living for a single employee has increased. Accordingly, the monthly expenditure required for a single person to meet their basic needs has risen to 41 thousand 899 TL.

According to TÜRK-İŞ data, the increase in food prices, defined as "kitchen inflation," was 3.65 percent in February. While the increase in food expenditures over the last 12-month period was 38.76 percent, the annual average increase rate was calculated at 39.43 percent.

The total food price increase in the first two months of the year reached 7.37 percent. The announced data revealed that the purchasing power of fixed-income groups, in particular, is gradually weakening in the face of rising living costs.

News Source: 12punto